“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
— Martin Luther King Jr.
Photo: Marion S. Trikosko, 1964.
who’s the champion?
Telegram from Abraham Joshua Heschel to President John F. Kennedy, June 16, 1963.
“I look forward to privilege of being present at meeting tomorrow. Likelihood exists that Negro problem will be like the weather. Everybody talks about it but nobody does anything about it. Please demand of religious leaders personal involvement not just solemn declaration. We forfeit the right to worship God as long as we continue to humiliate Negroes. Church synagogue have failed. They must repent. Ask of religious leaders to call for national repentance and personal sacrifice. Let religious leaders donate one month’s salary toward fund for Negro housing and education. I propose that you Mr. President declare state of moral emergency. A Marshall plan for aid to Negroes is becoming a necessity. The hour calls for moral grandeur and spiritual audacity.”
Abraham Joshua Heschel in reply to a request from President Kennedy to attend a summit regarding Civil Rights at the White House in 1963.
